This series has a ton of promise. A story about a novice adventurer wanting to become stronger in order to impress Aiz Wallenstein. The show uses true elements of RPGs–magically leveling up after defeating enemies, sometimes there are health bars and the weapons play a large factor in winning or losing. Hestia plays the role in supporting Bell–he cheers him on and this episode she gives him a ridiculously powerful and according to other fighters a questionable weapon. This is perhaps the coolest episode of this series in that it really shows how courageous Bell can be. The visuals were fantastic especially in the fight with the gorilla monster! This episode was all about Bell finding the strength to protect the people he cares about–the entire fight is inside a village that isn’t supposed to have battles in! Plus, he believe in his Goddess and at that moment receives a weapon that helps him become far stronger than he was even towards the beginning of this episode.

What detracts away from this show from being a full on adventure series is the harem genre that shows up. Bell manages to impress not just Hestia and Aiz but Eina Tulle and bar hostess Syr Flova after defeating the giant monster. Hestia threw her own power into the knife’s power it seems, considering how she falls unconscious after the battle. Somehow I can’t help but keep thinking of Sword Art Online and even Accel World after watching this. The ending part with the supporter in the cave is probably going to be another harem girl. Considering the main focus of this series is Bell picking up girls in a dungeon I would like [at least once] to see a fantasy game anime series be more mature focused instead of moe. I guess that’s what we get for a light novel adaptation.

Anyone that has been following my blog can tell I’m a huge fan of the inner workings of an anime series. As much as I like Manglobe and their works on Michiko e Hatchin and Ergo Proxy I must say they look like they might have lost a few of their key animators and background artists in the process of not having any work for a full year. GANGSTA has quite a few distorted faces and lack of detail in their background art for a few scenes.

J.C. Staff is on a roll this year. Once this year winds up they will have produced six animated works total. Two shows per season not including their key animators working with other production studios throughout the year! I’d like to see them do an original work because they’ve got potential when it comes to fluid animation and character designs staying consistent. I really enjoyed the idea behind this show–it dissolves any idea that there is a player out there controlling Bell Cranel. DanMachi, umps ship by making this into a truthful full-fledged series with role-playing game elements. Bell’s mysterious leveling up is straight out of a classic game of Dungeons and Dragons! Freya and Hestia tackle Norse mythology as its clearly seen with this episode we’ve got competition between Gods. In this case, Familia represent Norse Gods– Hestia is the Goddess of Fire and Hephaestus means forging. This show has a ton of potential to be a harem series as the title suggests. Honestly, I believe it works for this show because Bell’s true goal is to win the affections of Aiz Wallenstein after his life is saved by her from a minotaur.

Hestia’s relationship with Bell is comical because we see that Bell is constantly uncomfortable of Hestia’s romantic advances. This episode allows their relationship to become more interesting when Freya puts Bell into a dangerous situation. I’m really glad the creators didn’t dive into the heart of the story with this 2nd episode because we get two full episodes now of world-building and character development.

OP: “Hey World” by Yuka Iguchi

Generic J-POP but it works for this videogame-esque fantasy show.

ED: “RIGHT LIGHT RISE” by Kanon Wakeshima

Wow. This song was actually pretty decent coming from Kanon. She actually knows how to sing which is a surprise considering how horrible her songs have been the last few years. The instrumentals are slow-moving and the visuals are really good. Watercolor art backgrounds with kawaii designs of the main cast. For a show to have a focus around the main character winning girls’ hearts by leveling up this definitely works.

PLOT: Bell Cranel is a rookie adventurer and the sole member of his dirt-poor guild founded by the petite goddess Hestia. Adventurers come from far and wide looking to strike it big in the massive labyrinth known as Dungeon, located beneath the city of Orario. Bell is more interested in picking up girls than Dungeon-crawling, but his reality check comes sooner than expected. Saved from a brush with death by the beautiful, renowned adventurer Aiz Wallenstein, Bell falls head-over-heels and sets his sights on winning her heart, but she’s not the only woman he’s caught the attention of, for better of worse. {Taken from ANN}

Hoo boy. Where do I even start with this? There are parts I liked– the dungeon crawling, the fantasy town and various characters Bell sees at the bar really sets up the world we are just getting into quite well. This show reeks of everything we had from Sword Art Online and Log’s Horizon with all the fantasy elements mixed in to the action and comedy. I like this is a lot more because it’s tried and true of leveling up. Sword Art Online shifted its focus and what made the first half of season 1 so engaging [the health bars, earning equipment, etc.] to a more tightened narrative between a couple escaping the game and saving others.

With Dan Machi, monsters quickly dissolve from death to Bell receiving item drops literally from his battles proves that this series isn’t kidding around when its building up a hero character though a line of RPG gimmicks and if this weren’t enough we’ve actually got a very neat system for leveling up. Hestia lies a paper on Bell’s back and the stats gradually appear. I really like how enthusiastic Bell is about earning rewards in strength and what not– Matsuoka Yoshitsugu does a fine job getting this across! What is with this actor voicing video game related characters? Nonetheless he makes Bell quite a like-able lead.

Now as for fantasy game anime series go Sword Art Online encased these elements of fantasy storytelling through a world designed around reality, Log Horizon used these tricks to its advantage by showcasing the entire show as a simple run-of the mill popular MMO. With Dan Machi, we’ve got something different– I can’t quite put my finger on it but somehow I feel that we won’t be seeing any sort of reality or indications that there are one. Perhaps its because Bell is so immersed at wanting to become stronger and win the hearts of women or rather one in particular– Ais Wallenstein. I see a lot of harem sides to this show already that screams light novel material.

Most of the dialogue here is decent at best but its downfall is Bete Loga. Bragging and pulling the all too convenient scenario for the main character [Bell] to be dragged in is just too forced. Is is leaps and abounds ahead of Bell in terms of skill and for the creators to shove the “possibility of romance” in our faces develops this side of the anime quite poorly right from the get-go. Although, with this defeated attitude after leaving the bar I’m sure that Bell will be an intriguing person to see mature as this show progresses let’s just hope its not for convenience sake.

A decent start for J.C. Staff’s romcom of the season.

The opening song “Hey World” shows up at the end of this and its not bad just generic. I will be covering a more in-depth look at this series’ opening and ending once the animations are included hopefully next episode.